Brazilian Government Launches Initiative To Reduce HIV/AIDS Among Young MSM

Main Category: HIV / AIDS
Also Included In: Men's health;  Sexual Health / STDs
Article Date: 28 Mar 2008 - 6:00 PST

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The Brazilian government on Tuesday launched a campaign to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS among men ages 13 to 24 who have sex with men in the country, EFE News Service reports. The initiative will use public service announcements on radio and television stations to promote condom use and deliver safer-sex messages nationwide. The campaign also will place posters with HIV/AIDS prevention messages in public areas, such as train stations and bus stops, EFE News Service reports.

The Ministry of Health said that 41.1% of HIV cases recorded in 2006 occurred among MSM in the 13-24 age group, up from 24.8% 10 years earlier. Health Minister Jose Gomes Temporao also presented a study that found 226 HIV/AIDS cases per 100,000 men ages 13 to 24, a rate 11 times higher than the general population.

The new government campaign will coincide with other nationwide HIV/AIDS initiatives that have been launched during the last 10 years, EFE News Service reports. A general downward trend in new cases has been reported in the last five years, with 32,000 cases reported last year, compared with 39,000 in 2006 (EFE News Service, 3/25).

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